I hosted another fantastic weekend of gaming about a weekend ago at Salishan.  We enjoyed our largest crowd ever, peaking at about 15 people, and though things were a bit crowded the gaming action was non-stop and very fulfilling.  You can see more photos at my Flickr site.  You should also check out Mike's posts on day 1, day 2, and day 3.

As for the games I played, there seemed to be a higher percentage of heavier games than in years past.  Here's the list:

• Duel in the Dark
• Lost Cities (these first two were actually played at my home with Mike while we awaited KC's arrival for the carpool)
• Vegas Showdown
• Race for the Galaxy (x4)
• Ra
• Tichu
• R-Eco
• League of Six
• King of Siam
• Power Grid (with new power plant deck on the USA map)
• Mordred
• Limits
• To Court the King
• Conquest of Paradise (x2)
• Razzia
• Magic: the Gathering
• Indonesia
• Zing
• Canal Mania (x2)
• Cuba
• Antike
• Brass

I was thrilled that Jacob came along and spent much more time boardgaming than Wii- or XBox-gaming.  He and Brandon stayed very engaged with us boring adults throughout the weekend and each won their fair share of games.

Not that there wasn't any Wii action going on.

KC (and sometimes Jacob) and I entertained (?) everyone with some acoustic guitar playing and singing.  KC and I have a nice partnership going - I choose the songs, strum the simple chords, sing lead vocal while KC improvises solo lines while singing harmonies.

New game highlights for me were League of Six and Conquest of Paradise.  I did very poorly in League of Six but enjoyed the mechanics and tension in the game, though it may be a bit too chaotic with 5 players.  Conquest of Paradise is a very nice exploration game with just enough conflict to keep wargamers interested.

Thanks to my guests for being such nice... guests, and thanks to the cooks for preparing meals for all of us.  Until next year!

I use Google Reader to read syndicated blogs, and have started to be more thorough about sharing interesting posts I read. If you are interested in subscribing to this, check out my Google Reader Shared Items feed.

This may rank as the dumbest, most inane video you watch this year so feel free to just move along. Really, there's nothing to see here.

Still here? Enjoy the show. This was done over about a 1 hour period a few nights ago using GarageBand and some basic audio equipment. Jacob did a nice job on electric guitar and I especially appreciate the hard work Gabbi put into her vocal performance. That solid percussion section and backup vocal work you here is from none other than Julie and Matthew.

I finally got around to compiling a highlight video for Jacob's season. These are all defensive highlights - look for #66, usually starting as a left defensive end.

I've got a few games for sale, posted on the BGG marketplace. I'll be adding a few more to the list as I clean out my collection.

Gaming continues to be frequent and fun.  Last weekend the boys and I tried Winds of Plunder for the first time, the GMT game stuck on my burndown list.  It was only OK, and Matthew commented once that he likes Piratenbucht more.  I'm not sure I agree, but there's certainly enough chaos in the game to make me feel that it should be lighter, more fun than it is.  It is not a very strategic game - control can be difficult and if you fall behind in arms then it is likely game over with 4 or 5 players.  I'm not sure if this will get played again so it may move to my trade pile.

On Sunday afternoon Mike, Matt, and Ken joined me for my third playing of Brass.  Brass is still shiny for me and I think it will become a staple, especially if we can get the play time down to about 2 hours consistently.  This group was a bit more... contemplative than others I've played with, and it took about 3 hours to get through the game.  They all played well and used a variety of strategies.  Ken opted to develop early on and focus on getting level 2 buildings on the board during the canal period.  I think there's something to this strategy, but I think it is tough to do first thing and probably makes more sense after you are generating some income with a flipped cotton mill.

I was in last place at the end of the canal period but managed to get a strong income engine running and won with 122 points.  Matt was in second at 116, Ken and Mike tied at 106.  Everyone enjoyed the game and it may come out again today at Doug's gaming session.

Also on Sunday evening I finally played Niagara.  We actually had more fun than the picture below would indicate.  Julie and Matthew spanked me - I think I ended up with only 3 gems.  The board and disks gave us fits, and I'm glad I opted to not do this game for the elementary school games class - I think there's too much potential for mishandling the parts and frustrating other players.  I'm not sure this is a game I'll want to bring out often, but it is a nice novelty to keep around.

Friday was an in-service day for the boys' schools and I convinced Jacob to play 1960: the Making of the President.  This is the lighter, shorter cousin to Twilight Struggle and it has solid mechanics and plenty of tough choices to keep it engaging.

That said, the tension that we always found while playing Twilight Struggle doesn't appear in this game.  I think there are a few reasons for this:

• There's only a single scoring in 1960 - at the end of the game.  You know when the game is going to end so you can time your moves and plans accordingly.  In Twilight Struggle, you never know if your opponent is holding a scoring card, so there's a lot a feinting and bluffing which creates tension.
• I always found it easier to track how I was doing in Twilight Struggle - there's a VP track and you basically know where you stand.  I'm sure this will get better with experience, but Jacob and I really had no clue who was in the lead as we approached the end-game.  As it turned out, when Texas swung from me (Nixon) to Jacob (Kennedy) during the final campaign strategy phase, the victory went to Jacob.  This should have been exciting but we had no clue that was the decisive act!

The game took 2 hours 20 minutes, probably too long for this game.  We'll keep trying it and see if we get a more intuitive feel for the scoring and hence see an increase in tension.  For now, though, I think I'd rather bring out Twilight Struggle for a lighter 2p strategy game.

It sure is hard to resist GMT Games' annual in-stock discount. After chatting with Mike Deans yesterday afternoon I placed my in-stock order, plus added a few P500 reprints to my list after hoping they too were in stock. What I really wanted to just buy was Ardennes '44 and Wilderness War, but alas they are out of print so I went ahead and P500'd them. They both appear to be a long ways from a reprint.

So what to order at 50% off? I opted for Downtown and For the People. Downtown covers a theater I've never played before (Vietname) and For the People is a well regarded (by most) card-driven game.

I just had to post this photo. Yes, this little girl on the left really does know how to play chess. Talk about getting an early jump on competitive play!

If you are a casual gamer (or not a gamer at all!) then you might be interested in the BoardGameGeek Holiday Gift Guide. I haven't played all of the games on the list (in particular I'm really hoping to play Zooloretto soon), but the ones I have played are surefire hits. Some standouts in the list include:

• Blokus
• For Sale
• Hey! That's my fish!
• TransAmerica
• Wits and Wagers
• Time's Up!
• Ingenious
• Ticket to Ride

Convention Summary

BGG.CON 2007 was quite a bit different than 2005, the last time I attended.  In 2005 and 2006 the convention was held in downtown Dallas at the Westin with game rooms that were a bit more intimate.  The hotel was unnecessarily nice for a gamer crowd and expensive - I recall that the rooms were about $200-$230 per night, and I didn't have a roommate (though Sunriver Games picked up the tab).  The location was outstanding though, with many dining opportunities nearby via public transportation and walking.  There was a great inexpensive breakfast cafe adjacent to the hotel and we had some great side trips to an Irish pub and BBQ joint.  Still, the room rate was very expensive and likely would have constrained growth beyond the 200 or so people that came initially (note: my numbers may be way off, but I think they are close to accurate!).  The small crowd did give a very intimate feeling to the convention and I felt like I got to associate with a significant percentage of the attendees - this was a GOOD thing as the gamer crowd at BGG.CON is by and large a very well adjusted, easy to get along with crowd.  And none of them smell.

The move to the airport Westin brought a number of tradeoffs - someone should design a game with a theme of running a game convention!  The room rate was very affordable - my share after splitting the room with Greg will be about $240 for four nights.  You'd be lucky to stay at a Best Western or Marriott Courtyard for that rate, and this hotel was very nice (I travel a small bit and have stayed at some very nice hotels across the world, and this is in the 3-4 star category on a 5 star scale).  The gaming space was first rate and handled the crowd size just fine.  At peak times (Saturday afternoon) it was a bit challenging finding good space, but I don't think anybody had to resort to sitting on the ground to play which would be the first sign that space was running low.  Jim and I both agreed that the lack of dining options was a major issue that needs to be resolved.  There were two restaurant options in walking distance (we know this because we ran 4 miles one morning around the area, and Jim ran again Saturday for 5 miles): the hotel and Denny's.  The Denny's was as expected but too smoky, and while the hotel food was good it was very expensive and provided a limited menu.  We were fortunate to have local friends that drove us to Cajun food one night and BBQ another afternoon, but there's no way that everyone had the same treatment.  In the balance I think this hotel was still a better call and will plan on returning next year - it was the best game convention experience I've ever had.  Here are a few suggestions for Aldie and crew to address the food issue next year:

• Continue to search for other hotels in the DFW area that provide free airport transportation, sufficient ballroom space, reasonable room rates, and a small diversity of dining options in walking distance.  I think if there was a Red Robin or TGI Fridays or some similar option nearby the problem would be solved.
• Keep it at the Westin, but hire a shuttle service to a strip mall or shopping center nearby during dinner hours to allow people a chance to get away without hiring a cab.  Increase the convention fee to cover the cost, or charge a $5 toll per person to use the service.
• Don't cater the food from the hotel.  I've dealt with this quite a bit over the years running small conferences at Corillian and the costs are high and the quality typically low.  Get people away from the hotel and they will be refreshed and get some local flavor.

Aldie and crew (Vicky in particular) should know that my criticisms are on the fringes and I give the convention an A or A- rating as a whole.  For reference, I would give GenCon a B (A+ for show floor, C or open gaming), Origins a B (C+ for show floor, B for open gaming), and Essen a B+ (A+ for show floor, D for open gaming, and A- for local flair and dining).  Looking at 2008, BGG.CON may be the only convention I attend as I will unfortunately miss GameStorm (shame on them for scheduling over spring break!).

Here's a quick wrap-up on the games I played at BGG.CON.  I played 19 games and won 10 of them, confirming what I've told Julie that I'm really good at figuring out new games on the fly but gravitate towards ineptitude as other players figure out what is going on.

Games to Purchase (or Games I'm Thrilled I Already Purchased!)

Brass - this was my one Essen order (thanks for picking this up Carey) and I'm thrilled I got it.  I'm a sucker for Warfrog / Wallace releases and this one didn't disappoint and I put it in my top 3 Wallace games with Conquest of the Empire and Volldampf. Please don't be put off by the criticisms that the rules are poor - I put the rules for this game in the upper 50 percentile and after one play through this deep game you'll easily have it all figured out.

Thebes - theme marries mechanics in this great lighter Euro that represents where game designers should move towards.  I'm so tired of poorly themed games that are really just abstract games in disguise - designers, spend time on finding a theme that fits the mechanics!

Hannibal: Rome vs. Carthage - my best gaming experience of the convention, and I think Jim had the same opinion.  There is a reason this game continues to sit at the top of many all-time best game lists, including BGG - this is an incredibly balanced, thematic, asymmetric blend of American war gaming and Euro mechanics that will get played a lot over the next few years, especially if I can convince Jacob to play it

Cuba - I'm on the fence here as I'm worried it won't get played much, but I love the theme and bits and found the game to be very engaging.

Agricola - The cards are the clincher for this game - Uwe could have left them out and had a decent farming / civ building game that would have been solid but not have made my list of must buy in the company of Through the Ages and Roads and Boats. The cards add a roleplaying element and solidify the theme in a way that will greatly increase replayability.  The true test will be playing with Jacob and Matthew and seeing if they both get it and enjoy it.

Race for the Galaxy - This is the most obvious buy for me on the list of games I don't already have, and I expect it to be played often over the next few years. I can pack this in my portable game bag (what do I take out?  Agora? San Juan?).

 

Games I Hope To Play Again But Will Not Purchase

In the Year of the Dragon - This almost made the buy list, but I think someone else in the group will buy it and I doubt it would get played at home.  This is a very good game with very little downtime and a nice theme and a stream of difficult decisions.

Hamburgum - Like Year of the Dragon, this may get purchased if nobody else in my group gets it.  This is a game I want to explore more and likely has a great deal of hidden depth given the lack of random elements in the game.

Colosseum - I want to try this again when I'm not fighting a cold and sleep deprivation.  Jeff Deboer and Jim loved the game and maybe I can too, but the eye chart of show options threw me off and would likely make it unplayable with Matthew and Julie.  This is a surprise coming from Days of Wonder - I think they could have simplified the show production a bit more by reducing options or features and still had a very solid game.

Mission: Red Planet - On the fence here as the short play time may push it to a purchase but the quality of components disappoints.

Fjords - A surprising hit, I would purchase this if I didn't already have an amazing set of two player light games that rarely get played (Roma, Jambo, and Medici vs Strozzi for example).

Hansa - This is just a 3 on the 1-4 scale - I'll always play this if someone asks for it but would rarely suggest it myself.

Louis XIV - Ditto with Hansa, but maybe I just need to play with some players that aren't sharks.

 

Games I Don't Expect To Play Again

Before the Wind - Phalanx seems to be uneven in their production and translation quality, and I wish they had spent more time writing quality English rules for this otherwise decent game.  The reason I don't expect to play it again is I doubt anyone in my group will buy it, but I would probably happily play it again if suggested.

Oregon - No reason to play this again.  You know a game is flawed when you win my a big margin yet still walk away dissatisfied. I really hope Carey comes up with a good game design for codename "Mosquito Fleet" so that we get another great Northwest USA themed game (my current favorite of course being KC's unpublished Northwest Trek).

 

Games I Wish I Had Tried

Starcraft: the Boardgame - we still play Starcraft multi-player at home 7-8 years after its initial release.  Easily in my top 5 computer games of all times, this is the perfect theme to be played at home with Jacob and Matthew.  Then again, so is Warcraft: the Boardgame and it rarely gets played now.  Given the price point and weight of this game, I want to try before I buy and I regret not fitting this in.  I'm hard pressed to identify what I shouldn't have played to fit this in.

Amyitis - the latest Ystari release, I have a habit of ignoring these for some reason then being pleasantly surprised with the quality (namely Ys and Yspahan, though I grabbed Calus right on release).  Maybe I have some inherent bias against the French?  Still, I heard this game is one of their weaker titles so maybe I didn't miss anything.

1960: the Making of the President - this was always in action at the convention and it would have been nice for Jim and I to give it a go to work out the mechanics.  I re-read the rules here on the airplane and I think I'm ready to teach and play this with Jacob (or Julie?) so this is a minor regret.

Galaxy Trucker - For some reason I lacked any desire to play this game, but my regret comes from amazement with how much it was played at BGG.CON.  Is this any good?  Leave a comment and let me know if I should play it.

 

Conclusions

I think the crop of games coming this year is the best in the last 2 years.  I'm thrilled that I chose BGG.CON over Essen as I wouldn't have had the chance to actually play most of these titles if I'd gone to Germany.  I think Brass, Agricola, Cuba, and Race for the Galaxy compare very well with and even surpass prior years (Caylus, Pillars of the Earth, Havoc and that our gaming hobby is doing just fine.  I'm thrilled that we are moving past the idea of "German Gaming" and "Euro Gaming" to a real blend of styles that take the best of all worlds in terms of mechanics, theme, and replayability.  If you play these games and didn't attend BGG.CON, find a way to go next year!  I may even need a roommate...